Beautifully renovated 5 bedroom stone country house

Beautifully renovated stone country house, in rural hamlet. Gorgeous outdoor garden area, under ancient trees, 12 metre heated pool. Peaceful open rural views. Many beautiful historic villages nearby, with historic sights, markets, antique shops.
The region: There are many beautiful historic villages within 30 mins of the house. The best villages in the area bounded by South Correze, North Lot and East Dordogne are: Turenne, Rocamadour, Carrenac, Creysse, Loubressac, Autoire, Martel, Collonges la Rouge, Curemonte, La Roque Gageac, Beaulieu sur Dordogne, Castelnau-Bretonoux, Sarlat, Gourdon, St Cirq la Popie. The food in the area is out of this world (it's the heart of foie gras and truffle territory), with some awesome Michelin starred restaurants in stunning settings. If you like seeing prehistoric sites, there are the Grotte Lascaux, Grotte du Fond de Gaume, Gouffre de Padirac and Grotte du Pech Merle. There is a mixture of prehistoric cave art, stalagmites and stalactites, underground rivers etc. There are also lots of other sights and activities including castles, gardens, and canoeing (on the Dordogne, Ouysse, Vezere and Lot Rivers).

Beautifully renovated 5 bedroom stone country house

Beautifully renovated stone country house, in rural hamlet. Gorgeous outdoor garden area, under ancient trees, 12 metre heated pool. Peaceful open rural views. Many beautiful historic villages nearby, with historic sights, markets, antique shops.
The region: There are many beautiful historic villages within 30 mins of the house. The best villages in the area bounded by South Correze, North Lot and East Dordogne are: Turenne, Rocamadour, Carrenac, Creysse, Loubressac, Autoire, Martel, Collonges la Rouge, Curemonte, La Roque Gageac, Beaulieu sur Dordogne, Castelnau-Bretonoux, Sarlat, Gourdon, St Cirq la Popie. The food in the area is out of this world (it's the heart of foie gras and truffle territory), with some awesome Michelin starred restaurants in stunning settings. If you like seeing prehistoric sites, there are the Grotte Lascaux, Grotte du Fond de Gaume, Gouffre de Padirac and Grotte du Pech Merle. There is a mixture of prehistoric cave art, stalagmites and stalactites, underground rivers etc. There are also lots of other sights and activities including castles, gardens, and canoeing (on the Dordogne, Ouysse, Vezere and Lot Rivers).

Beautifully renovated 5 bedroom stone country house

Beautifully renovated 5 bedroom stone country house

Beautifully renovated 5 bedroom stone country house

Beautifully renovated stone country house, in rural hamlet. Gorgeous outdoor garden area, under ancient trees, 12 metre heated pool. Peaceful open rural views. Many beautiful historic villages nearby, with historic sights, markets, antique shops.
The region: There are many beautiful historic villages within 30 mins of the house. The best villages in the area bounded by South Correze, North Lot and East Dordogne are: Turenne, Rocamadour, Carrenac, Creysse, Loubressac, Autoire, Martel, Collonges la Rouge, Curemonte, La Roque Gageac, Beaulieu sur Dordogne, Castelnau-Bretonoux, Sarlat, Gourdon, St Cirq la Popie. The food in the area is out of this world (it's the heart of foie gras and truffle territory), with some awesome Michelin starred restaurants in stunning settings. If you like seeing prehistoric sites, there are the Grotte Lascaux, Grotte du Fond de Gaume, Gouffre de Padirac and Grotte du Pech Merle. There is a mixture of prehistoric cave art, stalagmites and stalactites, underground rivers etc. There are also lots of other sights and activities including castles, gardens, and canoeing (on the Dordogne, Ouysse, Vezere and Lot Rivers).

The region: There are many beautiful historic villages within 30 mins of the house. The best villages in the area bounded by South Correze, North Lot and East Dordogne are: Turenne, Rocamadour, Carrenac, Creysse, Loubressac, Autoire, Martel, Collonges la Rouge, Curemonte, La Roque Gageac, Beaulieu sur Dordogne, Castelnau-Bretonoux, Sarlat, Gourdon, St Cirq la Popie. The food in the area is out of this world (it's the heart of foie gras and truffle territory), with some awesome Michelin starred restaurants in stunning settings. If you like seeing prehistoric sites, there are the Grotte Lascaux, Grotte du Fond de Gaume, Gouffre de Padirac and Grotte du Pech Merle. There is a mixture of prehistoric cave art, stalagmites and stalactites, underground rivers etc. There are also lots of other sights and activities including castles, gardens, and canoeing (on the Dordogne, Ouysse, Vezere and Lot Rivers).

Guestbook comments from the owner

A group of 23 friends from Australia, UK, Germany and Amsterdam travelled in/out over a period of 2 weeks to help celebrate a special ‘senior’ birthday. In summary - Le Bayle exceeded all expectations. Early engagement with Ben and Judy meant that we were able to share the wonderful tourism, wine and restaurant tips with our group and there was much pondering each day as to which of the many local beautiful villages was going to benefit from our visit and the resultant long lunch!

The spacious, beautifully-renovated house and its grounds were perfect. The two lounge rooms and other internal and external communal areas meant that there was plenty of opportunity for private or convivial time. Access to wi-fi was a definite advantage for those planning onward journeys. Good weather meant that we were able to enjoy the beautiful outdoor spaces – swimming, petanque, dining al fresco, general lounging – but the chilly nights also saw us mesmerised and cosy by the wonderful open fire enjoying, with much camaraderie, the local wines and market-sourced terrines, cheeses, and other culinary delights.

A special highlight was the celebratory meal for 10 prepared, cooked, served and cleaned up by Fabrice, the visiting chef. A sumptuous four-course meal prepared in Le Bayle’s kitchen and served outside in the garden, under candlelight, is highly recommended.

Karinne, the property manager who lives next door was a great help in providing the initial tour of the place - a friendly wave each time we filled up her compost bin - and assisting with calamities such as a punctured tyre and finding local help to repair!

All bathrooms have been recently renovated. There are 2 bathrooms with separate toilets upstairs in the main house, a downstairs toilet, and shower room/toilet in the cottage above the garage. Total of 4 toilets in the property.

The main house has 4 bedrooms - 2 double bedrooms, 2 bedrooms with single beds. In addition to the above, there are 2 extra foldaway beds, and a cot available. There is also a fold out sofa in the smaller lounge room. There is a 5th bedroom with en suite separate from main house, in the cottage above the garage, with plenty of room for a cot or foldaway bed there too.

Entertainment:

Books

Books - Fiction / Non-fiction

CD Player

DVD Player

Table Football

Game Room

Games

Games for Kids

Ping Pong Table

Radio

Satellite / Cable

Stereo

Television

Video Player

Outside:

Beach Towels

Garden

Barbecue

10 garden chairs

4 deck chairs

Suitability:

suitable for elderly or infirm

wheelchair inaccessible

Pool / Spa:

Heated Pool

Outdoor Pool

Onsite Services:

Car Available

Attractions:

restaurants

Leisure Activities:

horse riding

scenic drives

sight seeing

walking

Local Services & Businesses:

Babysitter

medical services

Sports & Adventure Activities:

cycling

golf

mountain biking

swimming

Notes:

The house has been recently renovated, with new kitchen, bathroom and appliances. There are many character antiques in the house, and 2 wonderful large fireplaces. The house is very well set up for families sharing - with 2 separate staircases each accessing 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. There is a wonderful graveled garden area off the kitchen with outdoor table for meals under the large ancient trees. There is also a grassed play area, and fruit trees (with delicious plums and figs). The house is child friendly, with fenced garden and fenced swimming pool, cot, high chair, stair gates available on request.

A beautiful, well equipped house in a great location.

We had a wonderful week in the house with three other couples and our daughter. The house had ample room for the entire group, with multiple living areas and a delightful outdoor eating area in the shade of beautiful old trees.

From the very beginning, the correspondence with Ben the owner was easy, informative and timely. The list of suggestions for activities, places of interest and food recommendations was incredibly helpful and we sampled many of the suggestions, none of which dissappointed. On arrival, we were met at the property by the friendly local manager Karine and given a great introduction to the house and surrounds.

All in all, a fantastic week. We would highly recommend the house to anyone wanting to enjoy the delights of the region, but be warned, a week is not long enough!

Review Submitted: 15-Sep-2017

Date of Stay: September 2017

Source: HomeAway

Owner's Response: We are thrilled you had a great week - we love it when people love the house and the area as much as we do. You've been awesome guests, and sounds like you made the most of your week. We look forward to welcoming you back!

Amazing stay in the Valley of the Dordogne

Our first time in the south of France. The Mills' house is amazing with everything you need to cook local produce from the markets to the comfortable bedding and ample space to find a secluded reading spot. We swam in the pool nearly every day and there were lots of fun times sitting around the outside table under the trees watching the sun go down whilst drinking local Cahors wines. It was the perfect place to share with friends.

Having 4 weeks in the house allowed us to visit all the medieval towns around the area which were amazing and all unique in their own way. Rocamadour a favourite.

We enjoyed a 'Michelin' lunch at La Terrasse in Meyronne with beautiful views of the valley. The hostess managed to help us (due to our poor French) with the menu and the food was amazing. We were also found in Martel's many cafes for lunch and enjoyed all of them.

Even found a spare day to canoe down the Dordogne, which was a lot of fun.

Our time spent here was the best and would love to come back again to immerse ourselves into this beautiful part of the country.

BTW would love to know about all the stories that have been shared around the rustic dining table? Love it!!

Thank you also Karine for answering all our questions about the house.

Spacious home, modern style, great location

A beautifully-appointed home with historical references and all mod cons. The setting is magical on large grounds with fab swimming pool and plenty of living space indoors and out. Easy access to many fascinating medieval villages in the region. The local village about 1-1/2km away has all you need to equip the kitchen with wonderful produce and wine. A superb time will be guaranteed by all. Just not in rainy, cold weather.

Idyllic House in French Countryside

Le Bayle is a beautiful, renovated house in the French countryside. The house is large & well appointed with a stunning pool and expansive gardens. The attraction of this house is its location - a plethora of beautiful villages lie with 1/2 to 1 hour's drive of the property providing a good balance between exploring the region and resting in the shade of the old walnut tree or enjoying a swim in the pool as a respite from the summer heat. Two weeks here was not long enough to fully experience this part of France - highlights included the villages of Turenne, Rocamadour & Collonges-la-Rouge.

The property owners take great pride in Le Bayle and were perfect hosts providing great pre-trip information on their house, its location as well as sights/activities in the area. On the ground, the property manager, who lives next door and speaks English, is of great help in orienting new visitors to the house and local essentials such as the supermarket.

Overall we had a fantastic holiday and can highly recommend this French country house and its friendly & helpful hosts.

Chez Mills Holiday Heaven

This beautifully renovated house is set in a peaceful location surrounded by the most stunning countryside. It is clean, well appointed, comfy and interesting, with furnishings that enhance the ambience. With the friendly manager next door , a games room, large pool and table under the walnut tree, it's holiday heaven.

Leaving the property you'll encounter many ancient villages set atop the hills of the region which will take your breath away. There's a wealth of footpaths to explore, historical sites to see and restaurants to enjoy including Au Vieux Four in the local village . We thoroughly recommend this property and hope to return.

Location

Nearest Airport

130
Kilometres

Limoges

Nearest Train

25
Kilometres

Brive la Gaillarde

Nearest Motorway

20
Kilometres

A20 - exit 55

Car: necessary

Our house is located in the North of the Lot region, close to the Dordogne and Southern Correze. It is a wonderful area, near to many beautiful villages and the Dordogne River. The house is 1.5 km from the nearest town with facilities (Les Quatre Routes du Lot), 5km from Meyssac, and 10km from Martel.